Want to succeed in the trades?
Build your Essential Skills!

All trades need Essential Skills but to different degrees. Find out which Essential Skills you need for your trade based on the ITA program outlines.

The online assessment takes about one hour to do and covers reading, math and document use skills. There's one for each trade.

Get a personalized learning plan with free online lessons to help you build the Essential Skills you need for your trade.

ITA Essential Skills targets women, immigrants and Aboriginal people who are involved with ITA Labour Supply Initiative programs funded through the Labour Market Agreement. It is part of a long-term strategy to increase participation and success of these targeted groups to meet the needs of B.C.'s workplace. Initiative funding is provided by the Industry Training Authority (ITA) through the Canada-B.C. Labour Market Agreement between the Governments of Canada and British Columbia.

Facts

With them, you're more likely
to pass.

Apprentices with good Essential Skills
are eight times more likely to pass
their exams.

With them, you make more money.

People with good Essential Skills make
more money. They also learn faster and
are more likely to enjoy their job. And
they are less likely to injure themselves
and others at work.

If you don't use them, you lose them.

If you've been out of school awhile, it's
time to knock the rust off your Essential
Skills.